Htms-05801:37:34 Min Official

He stepped out of the basement and into the midnight air of the city. He was still biological. He was still real. And for the first time in his life, he had all the time in the world.

... He reached the basement. It was filled with the roar of massive liquid-nitrogen fans. HTMS-05801:37:34 Min

Elias sat in the sterile white light of the Transfer Bay. According to the readout, he had exactly thirty-seven minutes and thirty-four seconds remaining of his biological residency. After that, his consciousness would be compressed into a data stream and archived—a process the government called "Ascension," but everyone else called "The Fade." He stepped out of the basement and into

When Elias opened his eyes, the timer on his wrist was gone. The terminal screen was dark, save for one line of glowing green text: ERROR: HTMS-05801 - PACKET LOST. And for the first time in his life,